William t



`tutes @nicht ffrel WILLIAM T. DUVALL, or GEORGETOWN,V DISTRICT orcoLmnnn,` Assicnon To THE- L DUVALL PATENT PUMP, DREDGING, ANDGOLD-WASHING COMPANY.

VLener@ Paten: No. 80,398, door .my y 2s, 1868.

rurnovrMi-:nr in APPARATUS 'Pon comerme snPAnarmc'mNrMLe-AsnfmamcSUBSTANGES. I

Eike Stimuli muni to in time Enters' @anni imi makingpnrt of the stmt.

iro ALL WHOM n: MAY CONCERN: l y

De it Vknown 4that I, WILLIAM T. DUvA-LL, of Georgetown, in the countyof Washington, and District of Columbia, hnvcinventcd certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Collecting and Separating Metallicand Mineral Substances, and for other-purposes, :is-hereinafterset'forth. This invention is au improvement on and addition to thatdescribed in the patent issued to me, October 1,5, 1867', and numbered'"69,784, as improvement in apparatus for separating gold, ne.; and I dohereby declaro that the following is a; full, clear, and exactdescriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making partei'4 this specification, and in nhichl v Figure 1 representsa vertical longitudinal section through the centre of my apparatus.Figure 2 is a partial .plan view of the same, with the cover of thewheel-chamber removed. v Figure 3 is a detached view of ahand-instrument fox-exploring crevices in roclrsand the like.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section 'of a modified arrangementof the apparatus for separatingan'd i retaining the rich' deposits,elevated. Figure' 5 is a section of pipe to'be used for lengthening thehollow auger. i

Eiger-o 6 is amodied-form of theinstrumont, adapted-fer use ira-*sandybeds-.- Figure 7 is a vertical section of lthe same. Figure 8 is auinstrument to be used as -a scoop or drag. Y v The same letters ofreference occurring on the several figures indicate like parts.

The nature of myiuvention consists, rst,'in-ti application of the,principleV of exhaustion, for the purpose of raising, by atmosphericpressure andrapid currents of air or water, thesolid and rich depositsoften found in the beds .of rivers and other streams; also, in so.connecting. the suction-pipe with the punip, orits supplychambex-g thatit may be susceptible of vertical, oscillating', lvibrating, Lilrotarymotion, relatively tp i the pump whilst in operation; furthermore, in speculiar construction of-,the ,Yanes land other portions ofth'ecentrifugal pump, to adapt it to pass solid and heavysubstances, andto,deliver lthe same with caso from its periphery; also, in a novelconstruction or formation of the excavating-bits or -tools, and modesfof applying tho same to suit the various circumstancesunder` which"they mayrbe'n'sed; andinganovel arrangement andv construction ofpassages containing mercury for the retention of the 'goldfoplgthcrmultllio dopositsdiscltar'ged hy'thepump. 4 f

This, my invention, is moro particularly applicable to'the recovery of yor-o'ther metallic deposits found in the beds of streams, aud as 'auchit will here be considered and describeQ-bnt-rt'is also'equally welladapted j to `the`rcmoval of sand-bars or other similar`olistruetions'ltoii-snrigation.l

4 lmanable others to make and use'my invention, Iivtl-dfeseriljagitsconstruction and operation by referring to the drawing, in which-repr'csents a boat-or vesscl-{ofanyuitafhijs,form and construction,andwithin which is arranged auairtiglit chamber, which is divided intolaseries ofopriipartmeuts or passages, iu the central one of which isarranged-a rotaryf pump or pumps, B, which l:` preforftorusefin pairs,BB,- with a feed or supplypassage, C, between them, as in-this-manner'all' lateral'y pressure of the current-is divided andogualizled. In-

au'adjoning compartmcntkl), having communication with the passage' Cthrdugh astrainer, is a cylinder, F, extending upwardly nearly-to thetopot'` said compartment D, andvhavlng' operi4 4oorun'x'uuieationtherewith,

as also through the bottom of th e,vessclgA. Above this cylinder, and,Vas itawere, an e'iotension thereof,s salted' on thc cover of the chamberanother cylinder, G, which is open at its Ilow-er end, and'clos'ed'rwitha cover, H,V at its upper cad, lthrough thcccntr'c of which passes' thorod I, theobject of whioh'will be hereinafter more Y In ease it should he fo'uinl desirable to appl-y' the suction on either sidoof the vessel,Ircut o' commu 1ication between the compartment D and tho-passage C,bymeans of the sliding ,gate J, and open 'communication by the gate .PorJ*,'\rithonc orboth of the side','comportmontsml)l orD, through Vhiohthepumpis supplidly eases 2 means of the pipe' K, passing through the sideof the vesselend so connected and supported as to admit of anoscillating motion on its horizontul'portion K, on the outer end ofwhich is hung, so as to revolve freely. thereon, a spur-wheel, L, with abevel or mitre-wheel, MY attached to rotate .with it; and suspended fromthe horizontal pipe Kl, by means of the bracket N, is the pipe K, whichis also capable of receiving a rotary motion on its own axis by thebevel-wheel Ml, fast lthereon, gearing into the bevel-*wheel M, whichmay be rotated in any convenient manner. The compartments D and Dz arealso provided with strainers, :El E2 between them and the pump-chamberor supply-passage C. l

In case it'is desirable to explore amongst cracks' and crevices in arocky bed, I attach an instrument, represented in fig'. 3, by means oalexible pipe, P, to either of the chambers D, D, or D. This instrumentconsists of a hollow stem, I, with a revolving collar, P, forming auniversal passage, connecting it, through the brauch-pipe P3, with theflexible tube I), in such manner-that the stem Pl may be rotated by theauger-'handle -Q attached. to itsnnpper end,- whilst the loweren'rl ofthe hollow stem, being cut on a bevel, or otherwise suitably formed, maybe worked into small crevices, 'and the rich deposits Atherein bereadily extracted.

A The centrifugal wheel herevrepreseuted also involves somemodifications to adapt it to the-purposes of this operation.v Inwheels-hitherto lconstructed, the commen practice has been to encloseboth sides from the periphery to about midway between that and its axis,leaving a central orifice of about half the diameter of the wheel, andat the same `time'to narrow the periphery to such an extent' that thecross-section of the passages between the vanes should be about et'equal area 'a't all points between the axis and the periphery. A'.Ihis Ihave discovered'to be erroneous, andpartieularly unsuitable for thepurposes of this invention, which require that 'the discharge-orificeshall be capable of passing any solid matter admitted, and as theoperation ofthe wheel is positively centrifugah'the course of the wateradmitted laterally thereto is instantly diverted in a radial directiononcoming in contact with the vanes of the wheel, consequently anycontraction of the dischargeorifice in a-lateral direction again divertsthe water from its course (at right angles to the axis4 of such wheel)into which it had been driven by the action of the vanes. According to-my improvemengthe vanos a are made tapering laterally from theperipheryl towardsftlhefaxis, where they vanish in the face of the diske, this disk being keyed on the shaft S, with the vanes towards theorifice in the side of the supply-passage c, which orifice is of equaldiameter or thereabouts with that' et' the disk e, and supplies water tothev entire facoof the wheel, and the tapering formfot` .the vanos, asbefore described, causes'thcm to receive the water from said orifice onvarying lateral planesithroughout their entire length, from. every peinton which it is deflected orl thrown oll. Consequently there can be nocollision of particles in theirexit. Furthermore, I extend the vancsslightly, or to about the extentno'f half'their breadth -attheperiphery, beyond the periphery of the disk c, for the purpose ofinducing aflateral as well as radial discharge of the water, after it isrelieved of the direct prepniion of the vanes, thereby more equally.distributing the pressure .in the chamber. A pair ofv these wheclsgouthe' same shaft, arranged face to face with the supply-passage C, havingcorresponding orices therein o n either side between them, neutralizeall tendency to lateral strain. Y. u i i 4 Having thus' described .theconstruction and arrangement of the several features of my invention,its operation will appear as follows.: l l v Y The pumps 'B being set inmotion by steam or other suitable power, the air is exhausted fromthesupplypassage C between them,'and the sliding gate J being opened fromthe chamber D, also, the lhollow excavatortube S working in the cylinderF, is suspended by a rope attached to its swivellink, z', from thederri'ck T, the tube S being first leng'thened by attaching anyrequisitenumber of splice-pieces, V, until it reachesthe bed ofA thestream, with the aiiger or scoop'W at its lower end, thus forming asuction or supply-pipc to*th`"piirp's, Vthe upper end of which forms apiston fitting closely, but free to move np or down or be rotatedin thecylinder F, the upper endl being guided by the cylinder and its cover,H,so that by thus rotating, or raising and lowering this hollow suction,the deposits in the bed of the stream are agitated and drawn by the.force of the current upthe pipe, through the chamber D, to the-pump,whence they are discharged, through the passage gV and pipe h, into awashingapparatu's, X, which is constructed` and operates on the plan orprinciple of my goldseparator, (for which Letters Patent were grantedme', bearing date, October 15, 1867,) so far as the successiveenlargement ofthe several passages-is concerned; but inl that, the flowwas caused in some instances to pass over the -mercury in the chambers,and deposit its precious metals therein, according to bull: and specificgravity of the particles, and in others te pass throughupwardly-extended tubes, with annular cups of mercury surrounding-them,into which the heavier particles fell, and were retained. But, accordingto this improvement,

vI cause the entire flow to pass through the body of the mercury inthe'throut-ot` the chamber or chambers.

Thus the flow from the pipe 7L is dischargedinto thev chamber k, whichhas a horizontal passage, ,from its lower end, connecting it with thebottom of the funnel-shaped chamber m, from whence it passes over-by thepassage n, and descending pipep to the' bottom of the second chamber m,which `vis of larger area than the preceding Y one. Any desired numberof these chambers may be arranged in succession, cach successive onebeing of l greater area in its ingress and egress-passages. The lowerhorizontal passage l, of the last er of any number of them, is filledwith'meroury, so that the flow of water therethrough will drivethemercury forward into the funnel-shaped bottom of thc next chamber m,and to prevent the flow from passingin a single column through it, Iplace a perforated platc,'r, in a suitable position therein, above theelevated mercury, vby which the column* is divided,-and caused, as itwere, to percelate through it.

Incase the suction or eXcavatpr-tubc Sshould be capable of 'passingparticles of solid matter that could not be discharged by the pumps,it'may be necessary to place agrating between the chamber D and thepumps so as to retain such particles inV said chamber, but I prefer toso proportion the orifice oi' the pipe to the passages of the pump, thatwhatever can enter the former may have free course through the latter,and other portion;- ot` the apparatus.

In some kinds of material it may be necessary to use a species of drillAas a substitute for the scoop-auger W, in which case I applfllt'tothepipe K, on either or both sidesof the vessel, and communicateacontinuous rotary motion thereto through the gear-wheels LM M1, asbefore described. This suction may' be'operated either in avertcal or bedraggedin an oblique position on the surface of the 4bed of the stream,by which the deposit will be agitated and drawn-in by the current. y

In gs. 6 and 7 is represented another form4 of gatherer to besubstituted, for the drill or'seeop, whexiworlt-` ing ons sandy bed,which may be draggedlaterally over it, or be rotated, as beforedescribed, sweepinga large surface, where there are no rockyobstructions, as 4thevessel is propelled in either direction. The oriceof this instrument being long and narrow, formed by incliuing the sidestowards eschother, actsA in a manner as ascoop, and by operating one ofthese on each side of the vessel, of suilicielxtliengthV to meet, ornearly so, under its centre, and revolving them about the pipes K oneither side, a breafh of more than double that of the vessel may beexcavated as it travels over the bed. Q

f For exploring, or in working in rocky'beds in which are deep, narrowcrevices, I use ahollow hand-auger, represented in fig. 3, connectedwith ons of the chambers D by means of a flexible tube, which, throughitsuuiversal coupling, I, may be used to bore or probe the rocks, andthus the richest deposits'he readily discovered.

Haying thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Lettersv Patent, is-' Y 1, Thearrangement of theseparating-chambers m in such manner that the flow is caused to passthrough the body of the mercury therein, and is spread or deflectedbythe perforated plate r, essentially as shown and described.A

2. The application of artificial currents of airor water for the purposeof raising or removing solid matter, in the manner, andby meanssubstantially as herein set forth. t i

.3. A suction-pipe of a pump, so applied, as te be capable of, vertical,oscillating,v vibrating,` or rotary motion, substantially as andii'orthe purposes specified. i

4. The elongated foot-piece of the suction-pipe, substantially asrepresented in figs. 6 and 7. for, operation 'as set forth. -v I t v 15. The wheel B, constructed with one or more curved vanes, a, attachedto thedisk e, when sadvanes are `made tapering from the periphery'ot`the disk, and vanishing or nearly so at its axis, as'described.

6. The projection of the vanes in .semicircular or other form, beyondthe periphery of the disk, substantiall-y as and for the purposespecified. i WM. T. DUV-ALL.

Witnesses:

SYDNEY E. Smau, W. Mouais SMITH..

